Oh, friend, we know what love is when we see and understand what Christ did for us on the cross of Calvary. Christ’s sacrificial death to save us is the benchmark of true love.
When my husband was first coming into purity, heartache filled our marriage, and in my pain, I believed the lies of the devil and not only doubted the love of my husband but also began to question the love of God. The devil tempted me with many thoughts such as, “If God loves you so then why did He let your husband go off into sin? Why are all these bad things happening to you? God doesn’t love you. No one loves you. You must have done something terrible to deserve all this pain.” These thoughts troubled and disturbed me for a long time until God gave me faith to believe Romans 8:38-39,
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
Clearly, our circumstances in this life are not the measure of God’s love for us. It is at the cross of Christ, where we can see the height and depth of God’s love for us, that is the true measure of God’s love.
Look with me now at the cross and see Love (1 John 4:8) dying in your place. See the crown of thorns which pierced His head, the open gashes from the beating He received, the angry welts on his face where His beard was plucked out, and His face struck, see His hands and feet pierced through and the gaping wound in His side from which flowed His life’s blood to provide payment for your sins. All this our precious Savior endured for your sake. Every mark is evidence and confirmation of His eternal love. Christ died so that you might know undying, life-transforming, soul-saving love!
Dear friend, do you know that you are deeply loved? Do you know that you are loved beyond words, loved beyond measure? You are loved perfectly and profoundly by God the Father; so much so that He sent His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross to atone for your sins (John 3:16). You are loved deeply, richly, and eternally by the Lord of Glory, the precious Lamb of God who gave His own life to take away your sins (John 1:29). And what is more: nothing will ever, or could ever, separate you from His love (Romans 8: 31-39)! You are loved! Nothing anyone ever says, does, or does not do will ever change God’s love for you. No one can take Him away from you (Song of Solomon 2:16).
It is immensely encouraging to bask in the love of God. I find that as I meditate on God’s love for me and specifically on Christ’s perfect display of love on the cross that my heart fills to overflowing and my mind can envision things it could not before.
God’s love empowers! Where the flesh says, “I cannot!” God’s love says, “It is finished!”
Before we close out this lesson, let’s consider one final passage which will help us understand biblical love:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
Question 5. Please list out, in your own words, all the things love is and isn’t according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
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